Post Coitus
by pinksnowboots
Summary: Honestly, I would title this "Afterglow," but I hate that word for no legitimate reason. Snapshots of various couples' interactions after sex. Drabbles-strong fluff, mild angst. ByaRen, UraYoru, ShuuKira, ShunUki, KenShuu. New: Kensei and Shuuhei discuss what their tattoos mean in the human world.
1. Marked: Byakuya & Renji

Just a little drabble about nothing much, really. Just fluff. Reviews are appreciated, but by no means solicited.

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><p>Byakuya supposed that everyone had their own quirks regarding how they treated their lovers after sex. Personally, he was content to sleep with Renji's hair between his fingers and splayed across his chest until he fell asleep.<p>

However, his lover seemed to have more eclectic fascinations. After they had sex, or made love, or whatever it could be classified as, Renji sometimes would stare, half-dreamily, at Byakuya's chest. At first Byakuya had not understood his lover's gazes, but eventually they transformed in to touches, tender rather than arousing, tracing patterns across his skin. They started on his palm and lower arms and he barely noticed them as he fell asleep. Eventually Renji's touches found their way up to his shoulders, his chest, his neck. Byakuya could close his eyes and even out his breathing, pretending to be asleep while mentally following Renji's fingers as they moved across his skin. He finally figured out the pattern, only because it was something he had experience with as well: Renji's markings.

The thick black lines which extended onto all parts of his body were both exotic and erotic for Byakuya, and he had practically memorized their pattern. Apparently, so had Renji, because he liked to trace the same designs onto Byakuya's chest as they both fell asleep. His silence and subtle smiles had been consent enough for Renji. Byakuya was not an expressive man, nor a demonstrative one, and his lover had learned to read the language of his body, because it often spoke truer than his words. He grew bolder, tracing the designs with not only his finger, but with his mouth as well. When they bathed, Renji drew them on in soap and washed them off with water.

One night, Byakuya left his ink and brush in his bedroom and woke up with slightly smudged black lines all over his body. He was surprised to see that although they resembled Renji's markings, they were slightly modified-softer and more elegant than the bold tribal designs that Renji wore with pride. The lines on his body were thinner and smoother, but still easily recognizable as coming from the same pattern. As he looked in the mirror, he realized that the act was an act of possession, but also one of affection. And for once, despite his proud, reserved, and sometimes cold nature, he felt completely content to be this meticulously and lovingly possessed. Even as he watched the ink run off his arms as he bathed, he could feel the ghosts of the strokes that had made them.


	2. Stretch: Urahara & Yoruichi

Hello my lovelies. Here is the next installment of Post Coitus. It's about the same length as the last one-between 400 and 500 words-and is really just fluff without a particular plot. This pairing is Urahara and Yoruichi, which means het, surprisingly enough. Although this one isn't about behavior immediately after sex, it's about the mornings after. Just a bit of fluff with less depth than the ByaRen, but hopefully still enjoyable.

Please drop me a review to let me know what you think, as well as any pairing requests (although I can't guarantee I'll write them because I've got some in mind already). My next chapter will probably be ShuuKira, and it will get written when I have time and motivation.

On a side note, the title of this fic kind of grates on my nerves. It's titled that way because I cannot bear to title it Afterglow, and I have no other ideas. So any alternate title ideas would be very welcome, unless you like the dorky title as it is.

Enjoy!

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><p>They had been together so long that nudity was really nothing special. Although their sex life remained active and mind blowing, Urahara's laidback nature and Yoruichi's self-confidence ensured that there was never any shyness about lack of clothing. That was how they slept most often-naked, even if they hadn't made love the night before, loosely intertwined. Yoruichi liked to curl up like a cat, and Urahara was a convenient pillow no matter what form she was in.<p>

Although sleeping next to a nude Yoruichi was one of Urahara's favorite things to do, he liked waking up next to her even more. Even in her female form, she was feline. An Amazonian cat woman, with exotic beauty and unbelievable flexibility. She was most beautiful when she first woke up, wearing nothing but his striped hat, with her hair fanned out around her neck. She never let her hair down around anyone but him. She'd blink sleepily at him, and smile more tenderly than usual, although the ever-present hint of mischief was still there. Once she'd gained coherence, she would stretch. Not a brisk morning stretch, but a languid and pleasant exercise. She would lift her arms to the ceiling, stretching and curving every elegant finger, arching her back in ways that should be impossible or otherwise illegal, sinuously twisting as the morning light caressed her skin. It was their agreement that this was her time. He could watch, but he would not disturb her.

And why would he? It was movement saturated with sensuality and manifested in the form of this one, gorgeous woman. She was beautiful in the darkness, when she confined her movements to match his pace, but here in the soft light of the morning, she was free to move however she pleased. It fit their relationship perfectly. He had not and would never ask her to follow him, but because he did not ask, she chose to and willingly cast herself into exile for him and for herself.

Their relationship was comfort and passion, freedom and domesticity, and it worked only because he was Kisuke, and she Yoruichi. Despite being a genius, he had never quite worked out how this whole thing came about, but honestly, he wouldn't bother to question it. Not while she finishes swiveling her hips with a soft pop, then crawls over to place transfer his hat from her head to his, and finally says "Good Morning."

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><p>I really love the idea of Yoruichi wearing Urahara's hat, in case you didn't notice. I find it unbearably cute, and about as domestic as these two would ever get.<p>

Reviews are always wonderful, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Stay: Shuuhei & Kira

Another installment of Post Coital. I still have no suggestions for a less awkward sounding name, so it's going to stay as it is. This chapter is ShuuKira and does mention their captains' betrayal. I try to avoid overstating the effect of the defection on these two, especially Kira, but it would have been a particularly traumatizing experience, especially as Kira continued to follow Gin's orders. So even though I'm trying not to make Kira super emo about Gin, he is...delicate, let's say.

In terms of quality, I'd rate this above the UraYoru (because het is hard!) and maybe about the same as the first chapter, in my personal opinion. I'd love to know what you think though.

Warnings: Mentions of sex, use of the term "making love" (A phrase I really dislike almost as much as the word "afterglow"), some angst.

Oh, and there's a little reference to the Bount Arc. I have no idea if anyone else noticed, but I found it hilarious and adorable when Shuuhei told them "Let's split up!" and then he and Kira totally stayed together. So cute! And another plus for the Bount Arc-we get to see Kira being badass when he makes Koga's doll sink into the floor with Wabisuke. And Renji finally wins a fight! I love it when they don't just lose all the time! 

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><p>Although their relationship began before any of the betrayals happened, it really was solidified afterwards. Before, Shuuhei and Kira did not spend the night together unless granted a night off by their taichous. They were two of the most hardworking fukutaichous in the Gotei 13, and duty came before pleasure. Besides, it wasn't as if they didn't see each other enough. I was rare to see one without the other, except on division business. When they went out drinking with Matsumoto and Renji, they were always together. When they fought the Bounts, everyone else split up, at Shuuhei's suggestion, no less, except Shuuhei and Kira. And whenever they were accorded a moment of free time, they could always be found together, walking through the woods outside Sereitei, eating together in the 3rd or 9th barracks, secluded inside a closed room somewhere (as large as it was, the Sereitei did not afford much privacy unless one knew where to look). It was a comfortable relationship, relaxed. They did not need to spend time together, but they chose too.<p>

After Aizen defected with Gin and Tosen, things changed. They both became the de facto taichous of their now leaderless divisions, given responsibility without the power to wield it. There was no more worrying about days off or free time. All their time blended together. It was spent as it had to be spent, which often meant overseeing their divisions and filling out paperwork. Free time came only when all the work was done, and the work was never done. So they compromised. Instead of spending their leisure time together, they stayed together while working. One day Kira would drag his paperwork over to Shuuhei's office and watch as Shuuhei trained the 9th division, and the next Shuuhei would spend his day in Kira's office struggling through his own paperwork as Kira worked to boost morale. Everyone had known that where Kira was, Hisagi would be and vice versa. Their squads, which were already disoriented due to the loss of their captains, just accepted both men's presence as a matter of course. By bolstering each other, they managed to trudge through the work of a position they were not truly equipped for.

At nights the arrangement was much the same. While they had not shared a bed before because their captains would not approve, who was there to disapprove now? They were de facto taichous, as the real ones were long gone, and it was an act of silent rebellion in addition to being a comfort. They alternated nights, one night sharing Kira's futon in the 3rd division and the next staying in Shuuhei's room in the 9th. The fukutaichou's rooms were only close to the taichou's quarters, and since there were no taichous, there was no one to hear them in the darkness, which was an unexpected benefit. Intimacy still held pleasure, but it also held comfort, and reassurance. Although they would not admit it, they both feared being left again, and every morning that they woke up together bolstered their spirits.

At first Kira had been timid. Still stuck in the mindset that he was due back in 3rd division, he had initially tried to creep away from Hisagi's bed when he thought the man was asleep. He worked carefully to extricate himself from Shuuhei's arms, preparing to creep back into his own futon and wallow in uncertainty. But just as he managed to free himself, he felt a hand encircle his wrist, gently but firmly. Whether he was fully awake or not was unclear, but the whispered "Stay." that Shuuhei released into the air between them, not a command but a plea, was clear as day. The single word flooded Kira with relief that he would not have to sleep alone with the ghosts of Gin Ichimaru, and he willingly slipped back into his lover's arms.

Hisagi had similar misgivings the first time he slept in the 3rd division with Kira. It was very soon after the betrayal, and they had made love with the scent of desperation clinging to their skin. Afterwards, Kira was reluctant to let go, afraid to give Shuuhei an opening to disappear into the night like his taichou. Hisagi wanted nothing more than to stay beside Kira until Kira was no longer afraid that he would leave, but the wounds were fresh, and emotions were high, and he could not tell if he was welcome in this room where Gin had once walked. So he gave Kira some distance, and used a little bit of time to try to decide whether it was appropriate for him to stay or to quietly take his things and shunpo back to his own division. Kira was silently begging him to stay, but could not vocalize his wishes, and Hisagi was so lost in thought about his love that he did not notice Kira's expectant face. Hisagi's mind was made up when Kira subtly shifted, so natural as if while sleeping, to gently drape himself over Hisagi, to twine himself loosely around the body of his lover so that he could not leave without at least waking Kira. Of course, Shuuhei had no intention to leave when Kira's body was telling him what his words would not.

"Stay."

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><p>Reviews are lovely! I'm also open to suggestions about future pairings andor the title. 


	4. Guess: Shunsui & Ukitake

Fourth installment of Post-Coitus: Shunsui's words always seem insincere when he speaks, so he writes his feelings on his lover's skin.

This idea is another that has been bouncing around begging to be written for about a week. It is also something that started protesting as soon as I tried to write it. Simply put, it worked better in my head, which is always annoying. I may come back and try to whip it into the shape I wanted originally, but this is what it is for now.

The title, as much as it kind of makes my eyes twitch, is going to stay as it is based on reader feedback and my own inability to think of synonyms. I'm actually kind of fond of it now in a twisted kind of way.

You know the deal: read and review! Reviewers will most likely get random replies which may or may not contain offers or marriage and/or lifelong servitude. Never let it be said that I do not appreciate reviews.

Enjoy!

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><p>Shunsui loved games, especially when the stakes were low and the motivation was purely intrinsic. He played games against himself, his unsuspecting friends, his fellow captains, and even his opponents in battle. He counted how many times he could make a vaguely lewd comment to Nanao before being dealt a businesslike slap to the face (the current record was five and a half-the half had been cut off by the slap). He coerced Ukitake into playing chess and whatever new board game Rukia dredged up from the human world. He had been the one to teach Matsumoto all of the drinking games which made her outings infamous. Even Katen Kyokotsu was a co-conspirator to his whimsies, her shikai's power manifesting only according to the rules of her own little games.<p>

As Shunsui's lover, Ukitake knew about his unusual fondness for games and puzzles. When Shunsui did things which most would view as slightly odd, Ukitake simply took it in stride as another of his eccentricities. So when he felt Shunsui's calloused fingers tracing his palm in bed one night, he simply gave the other man a bemused and somewhat curious look. Shunsui simply smiled the way he always did when he found a new way of keeping himself amused. "Guess," he said, and that was all he would say on the matter. Ukitake scoffed fondly at his lover and closed his eyes, intending to sleep. However, Shunsui's movements were insistent, and he found himself mentally following the shapes that were being drawn on his skin. After focusing for a moment, he realized that they were kanji. Once he had made that determination, it didn't take long for him to recognize the characters: _I love you_.

"I love you. That's what you're writing." He muttered sleepily, imagining Shunsui's satisfied smirk. He felt a kiss being pressed to his palm before he drifted into sleep.

Jyuushiro had not taken any particular note of the incident the next morning. He knew very well that Shunsui was odd, and had long come to accept his lover's various idiosyncrasies. Ukitake forgot about Shunsui and his word games until that night, when he felt more gentle strokes on his wrist. Now that he knew what Shunsui was doing, it was easy to pick out what he was writing-Ukitake's name. He told Shunsui as much, and received the same response. A kiss to the area of interest and peace.

Eventually it became a habit. Shunsui would write-words at first, then phrases and sentences-on whatever part of his lover was available. Every night, depending on his mood, he would share his thoughts through a thinly veiled code, and Ukitake quickly learned how to break it. After a few nights, he stopped guessing the words out loud, merely acknowledging the scribblings with a smile or a touch.

The actual writings varied. One night he wrote "beautiful" on Ukitake's left cheek, and the next night wrote "handsome" on his right. If he was feeling punchy, he would be playful, proclaiming that Ukitake's lower back was the _Property of Kyoraku-Taichou, 8__th__ Division_. He scattered all of Ukitake's nicknames up and down his spine, and wrote little secrets in the hollows of his elbows. _I love it when you wear my hat_ was scrawled across Jyuushiro's collarbone, while his thigh was adorned with sentimental secrets: _I stopped looking at girls once I met you_, and _The Academy was my first real home. _Sometimes the words were painfully honest, others hopelessly saccharine, and some completely irrelevant or irreverent.

_I always thought there was a reason we both had twin blades._

_You are the bravest person I know._

_Tuberculosis has never looked so sexy._

Occasionally he would wait until Jyuushiro's breathing had evened, and when he thought that his lover was asleep, he would carefully spread his most serious secrets across Ukitake's bare chest.

_I love Nanao-_

He had begun, but was alerted to Ukitake's wakefulness when he felt the subtle tensing of muscles which signaled stress, anger, or unhappiness. He quickly finished the sentence.

_I love Nanao like a daughter._

And Jyuushiro had relaxed and drifted back off like he had never been awake.

Once Ukitake had asked why Shunsui felt the need to write his thoughts rather than say them. They were lovers, and had been for hundreds of years. Surely there was no need for any type of shy behavior. Shunsui had laughed it off, claiming he just felt like playing another game. When prodded, he admitted that he wrote his words to his lover because most things he said were not taken seriously due to his reputation as a flirt and a drunkard. Elaborating on that, he quickly explained, _My spoken words are not seen as sincere, so I will write to let you know that for you, I will always be sincere _in a quickly written sentence across Ukitake's shoulders. It seemed that Jyuushiro had accepted that, and they continued to hone their wordless conversation of touches and shifts, of fingertips and invisible ink.

One night Shunsui had began to write something along the lines of

_I don't deserve y-_

When he was cut off, the metaphorical ink stained by Ukitake's hand capturing his own and intertwining their fingers, gently and absolutely refuting any words that they had tried to put forth.

At least for that night.

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><p>Let's play a game! I'm thinking of a word that starts with r and ends with view. I think you can take it from there.<p> 


	5. Spar: Ikkaku & Yumichika

Finally got over my writer's block when it comes to these two! I love them so much, but I just couldn't seem to get it out. Finally did it though-just a short little snapshot into Ikkaku's mind. Not much, but pretty good considering I'm being sucked back into Hetalia with a multichap, so I'm trying to give the Bleach characters some love too!

Anyway, I do enjoy these little drabbles, but I'm running out of couple ideas. I'm not good at writing het, but I don't really have a ton of other slash pairings. I was thinking maybe Shinji/Urahara, even though I already did an UraYoru and nobody else seems to agree that Shinji and Urahara would be epic together, but whatever... Or maybe Aizen/Gin or Ichigo/Ishida or Shuuhei/Kensei. Ok, I lied-I do have ideas, but not good ones. So if you have a pairing you'd be interested in seeing, please feel free to let me know!

Oh, and I actually use the dreaded word "afterglow" once in this. *shudder* I apologize profusely for such an uncomfortable word, but it seemed to be appropriate.

Thanks for reading and please take the time to drop a short review!

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><p>Whenever Ikkaku and Yumichika had sex, it left them both spent. Not just spent in the drowsy afterglow kind of way, but in a way that usually was only felt after a hard fought battle which you may or may not have won. Their afterglow was a haze of adrenaline and blood lust mixed with the aftermath of actual lust, and because they were crazy men from the 11th Division, they both slept best with that kind of satisfied tension coursing through their bodies.<p>

Ikkaku had often reflected, when he was in a rare mood to actually reflect, that even if he didn't have Yumichika, he would have to be gay, or eschew carnal pleasures altogether. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate women, aesthetically, but aesthetics mattered little to him, ironically enough considering his partner.

But the main limiting factor was the fact that in a heterosexual relationship, the roles were defined. The woman was expected to be submissive, the man assured a place of dominance. Yes, a woman could fight back, but due to her empirically weaker physique, she would simply be labeled as "feisty" and dominated all the same. Sure, there were women who were almost on the level of men, but achieving the physical strength of a man often deprived them of the aesthetic appeal of a woman.

Really, the relationship between two men was the only kind that Ikkaku could tolerate. Every show of affection was a battle, albeit one fueled by lust rather than rage. The best part was that there was no guarantee of dominance. Sure, people may assume that the smaller or more feminine one would be "the girl" in the relationship, but as the lover of a very effeminate and very strong man, Ikkaku could attest that those assumptions were very often dead wrong.

When they came together, they did not meld, but clash. They sparred, using bodies as their only weapons while their zanpakutos hummed with a twisted kind of pleasure despite their current state of disuse. Every time they made love, they battled for dominance, fiercely and passionately, channeling the love of battle into the love of another person. Ikkaku loved this type of battle as much, if not more than the type he fought with Hozukimaru, because in this type of battle, he lost about as often as he won.

That night, Yumichika had won, and although the man was sleeping, he was still asserting his dominance, draping himself over Ikkaku and laying his head on the marks of possession he had scattered over the man's chest. It was just as likely that an evening would find Yumichika peppered with marks along his neck and collarbone, with Ikkaku keeping a firm arm around his waist as he slept.

_To the victor go the spoils._ As it always was in their relationship, and as it should be, for they'd have it no other way.


	6. Tattoo: Kensei & Shuuhei

Hello lovelies. I know I've been on a _loooong_ hiatus-I've started college and been very busy and whatnot and I apologize. I can't promise I'll be more active from now on, but I haven't disappeared entirely. Anyway, have some KenShuu fluff. Enjoy! 

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><p>Shuuhei and Kensei lay sprawled out on their shared bed, facing each other, limbs entangled and the covers thrown aside. Both seemed quite content not to move, save Kensei's absentminded stroking the tattoo on his lover's left check.<p>

Shuuhei chuckled, "Not that I mind, but why are you so fascinated by my bad decisions in adolescence?"

Kensei ceased his stroking and moved his hand down to twine in Shuuhei's as he answered. "Bad decision? I'm hurt, considering it was inspired by me. Unless there's some other man in your life with a similar tattoo that I don't know about?"

Shuuhei scoffed fondly as Kensei continued.

"But really, how could you expect me not to be in love with it? It marks you as mine, and you know I'm a possessive bastard. Besides, twisted as this sounds, it reminds me of the little boy you once were and the man you've grown to be, and I'm proud to say that I had any influence, however minimal, in that transformation.

Shuuhei snuggled closer. "Don't be so modest. You were my inspiration and you know it."

Kensei smiled cheekily. "Yeah, I do. But I thought I'd try modesty for once."

Shuuhei playfully whacked Kensei on the chest with their linked hands. "Well stop. It doesn't suit you. I much prefer your insufferable arrogance."

Shuuhei punctuated his statement with a quick kiss, then laid his head contentedly on Kensei's chest, intertwined hands subtly resting on the older man's matching tattoo. For a few moments, they lay there in silence before the rise and fall of Kensei's chest in silent laughter roused Shuuhei from his near-slumber. He raised his head and gave Kensei an inquisitive look, which the man understood instantly.

"Sorry Shuu. I was just thinking about how that tattoo means something entirely different in the human world."

Shuuhei looked mildly confused. "Well, what does it mean there?"

Kensei smiled mischievously, but said nothing.

Shuuhei's eyes widened in realization. "_Oh_. So it's something sexual."

Kensei's smile grew more wolfish, then disappeared for a moment as he heard Shuuhei ask, "So, have we done it?"

The older man's smile faltered for a moment in surprise, then he began to laugh heartily. "Well, remember last New year's Eve?"

"Oh." Shuuhei's face turned red. "Wait, which part?"

Kensei's laughs grew fuller as he replied cheekily, "Well, I bet that I can jog your memory a bit" as he pulled Shuuhei into a deep kiss.


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